New Michael Jackson Song Premieres

Another song from the forthcoming Michael Jackson LP Michael was released Tuesday. "Much Too Soon" is a ballad of lost love that's being streamed free for one week in Apple's new music-centric social network, iTunes Ping.

The song opens with gently plucked acoustic guitar that's more than a little reminiscent of the intro to MJ's 1972 hit "Ben." It then moves into a full acoustic arrangement loaded with strings and brief accordion and harmonica passages. Jackson's vocal is soft and restrained throughout.

According to Jackson's website, the song was written at the time of Thriller: "Michael always liked the song and would pull it back out of the vaults for each subsequent album project but never found the right home for it." The song, written by Jackson and co-produced by the singer with John McClain, now a co-executor of his estate, will be the closing track on Michael.

Check Out All of Rolling Stone's coverage in "Michael Jackson Remembered."

"Much Too Soon" is the third song to be previewed from Michael, joining "Breaking News" and the Akon collaboration "Hold My Hand." The album is slated for release on December 14.

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Song Stories

“The A Team”

Ed Sheeran | 2011

This debut track from the then-20-year-old British singer-songwriter has a dark story behind it. Sheeran says he culls songwriting inspiration from "viewing other people's situations," which, for the heroine in "The A Team," involves drug addiction and prostitution that began as a teen. Sheeran paints the woman's trials with haunting imagery such as "But lately her face seems/Slowly sinking, wasting/Crumbling like pastries." "I did a gig at a homeless shelter, [and the song] is about one of the women there. It's her story," he said.

More Song Stories entries »

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